Another Door Opens

We got the doors for the basement delivered to the house, but then Lee and I carried them around the house and put them in the basement.  We hired a guy to install them.  And now it is my turn.

   

We ordered doors with the trim already installed and primed.  But when it is attached to the wall, there are wee little holes where the brads went in.  All of those had to be filled.  I don't know why, probably because the walls are never even, but there were gaps in some of the corners on the trim.

   

It was my fun job to fill all those holes, so I can sand and paint the doors.  The trick is to get it mostly smooth with your finger.  Then, using a mostly dry sponge, wipe the wood smooth.  This is way less messy than sanding.  Don't get me wrong.  There will be sanding.  Just LESS sanding. 

Tomorrow I will sand all the doors and start painting.  Oh, joy.  The hard part about doors is getting a smooth surface.  So you have to start with a smooth surface and I will begin that process tomorrow.

   

As long as I had the spackle out for the doors, Lee asked me to fill the hole in the kitchen wall.  When the plasterers hung the plaster board they covered up the outlet.  Actually they covered several outlets and a ceiling light, but this one was not discovered until I started painting.  It was set lower than the other so there was a small hole cut before we found it.  Now I have to fill the hole.

It is a small hole but you can't just start throwing spackle in there.  It has to rest against something.  I needed a bit of wood.  I had some shims, but the guy that installed the doors used them all. 

   

Well, looky here.  A stir stick for the paint!  I cut a length that would fit in the hole and extend on either side to hold it in place.  Then I tied a piece of string around the center.  It helped that the was a notch in the stir stick.  I poked the stick through the hole and then held it in place with the string.  Next I filled the hole with spackle, leaving the string hanging out.

      

When you fill a large hole it takes a few time to fill it completely.  The spackle will shrink when it dries and then you have to add a bit more.  When I go back to the hole I will cut the string and add another layer of spackle.  Don't worry, I will clean it up and make it pretty.  The last layer I will try to texture to match the wall, although it will be inside a cabinet, so not a big deal.  I am waiting until all the tile, carpet and baseboards are installed and then I will do the necessary touch up paint.

Tomorrow...sanding and paint.